Co-posted on AO3/Tumblr
Story is set in "Saiyaku wa boku o suki sugiru" Universe which is a yaoi manga I love. It will follow the plot but only to some extent. I hope you enjoy ~

"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like."

Chapter One

Even though it was a chilly November day, the streets were hustling and bustling with people going to and from their workplace, teenagers hanging out at the arcades and shop owners promoting their goods. It was still early into the month, but people were already dressed in heavy clothes even though it was still the middle of autumn.

The cafe, too, was full today despite it being a small one, two blocks away from the station. People sat down at the tables or the stalls near the counter and ordered hot steamy drinks in an attempt to warm their freezing bodies, even if just for a bit.

To Furihata, it was supposed to be an ordinary, busy day at work. He was a waiter and so his job was to attend to the tables, take orders and help clean up at the end of the day. It was a tiring job indeed, but he loved it nonetheless. The owners were nice and so were his co-workers and the pay was more than fine.

If there was something he'd complain about though, it would be the occasional run into somewhat annoying customers; and to his luck he seemed to be stuck with one nearing the end of his shift.

"The coffee is too strong and there doesn't seem to be enough milk or sugar. Are you sure you've been listening?" The red-haired customer spoke as he placed his cup on the table with a clink.

This was already the third time he'd re-made his coffee and it was starting to feel intentional. It was either too sweet, or too bland and now it seemed to be too strong. Furihata sighed and placed the cup back on his tray and turned to face the young man sitting at the table by the window.

Oh, how he wanted to tell him to drink his DAMN COFFEE the way it was and not make him re-do it so many times! But Furihata was never good at speaking up for himself or at dealing with those kind of people. The person in question looked like a young master or something, if the sleek black car parked in front of the shop and the smug tone he was using were anything to go by. He had an intimidating air around him, making it ever harder to approach.

"I-I'm very sorry. I'll redo it right away!" Furihata said with a bow, doing his best not to make contact with those intense eyes and moved quickly into the kitchen.

When he was in the kitchen though, he let out a frustrated groan and slammed the cup into the sink.

"Don't take your anger out on things!" He heard a feminine voice say before he was hit at the back of his head by a paper fan. He clutched his sore head and turned to face the owner of the shop.

"But Riko-san! That's too much! I-"

"Even though, breaking more cups won't solve the problem." Riko said folding her arms in front of chest. "I know he's being demanding, but it's our job to provide the perfect service to our customers, isn't that right, Furihata-kun?" Furihata nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'll tend to it right now!" He said as he made his way back to the coffee machine.

"But, really that kid is getting on my nerves. If he's that rich and spoiled, why not go to one of those fancy restaurants and spend his daddy's money on fancy food?!" Said Hyuuga, the co-owner of the place alongside Riko.

"I don't need you going into clutch time, right now!" Riko slapped his back so hard he yelped in pain.

...

It was supposed to be a simple order of coffee latte. He could understand having certain preferences when it comes to food and drinks and he was fine by that. But other customers would state those preferences, not wait for you to make a mistake and complain about it!

He sighed as he poured the coffee into the cup and added, what he hopped would be, the right amount of milk and sugar. But before he placed he cup on the tray, his eyes caught the cinnamon jar sitting on the close-by shelve.

Well, he had always liked the extra flavor the cinnamon adds to the coffee and that young man seemed like he would complain anyway, so it shouldn't hurt right? He could always drink the coffee himself that way. He made up his mind and sprinkled a little bit of the brown powder on the top of the espresso foam. He held the tray and made his way to the tables.

Furihata wanted to curse that breath he held when he caught sight of the red head staring absentmindedly out the window. True to Hyuuga's words, he really did look out of place. Even though he was wearing casual clothes, as casual as a rich kid can get, he gave off an aura of elegance. He couldn't deny that he was handsome as well, with his pale skin and short red hair and gleaming dichromatic eyes... He noticed Those eyes were staring at him.

He averted his eyes and quickly placed the cup on the table, his head still hung low as a light blush adorned his face. He was caught staring...

A smirk crossed the red haired teen's features as he left the cup to his lips taking a small sip of the beverage.

But soon that smirk was replaced by a lightly bewildered expression.

Furihata watched with amazement as the customer's eyes widened for just a second before returning to his composed self. This time he didn't protest or say anything, just silently continued to drink his coffee, his gaze though was a bit softer.

Furihata couldn't help but feel somewhat proud he caught the red head off guard. A satisfied grin plastered on his face. "I suppose the coffee was fine this time?" he asked never bothering to mask the teasing tone in his voice.

"I suppose it is. It should have been the first time, though." The young man said, taking another sip, still using that prideful tone.

But Furihata's grin never wavered as he left the table to answer the call of another customer. He pretty much continued his shift in high spirits vaguely aware of the mismatched orbs staring at him intently as he attended to the other customers.

...

The clean-up took up a lot of time, but considering the number of people visiting the cafe today, it wasn't something unusual. The cafe switched into a bar after midnight, so everyone was rushing to get everything ready into place in time.

Hyuuga was sweeping the floor, while Riko and another one of his co-workers, Kiyoshi were checking the inventory. Furihata was currently in the kitchen, returning the freshly washed plates to their place inside one of the cabinets and Himuro, who was in charge of cooking, was organizing the cooking utilities.

Bzzt Bzzt

Furihata continued doing his job while humming a soft tune.

Bzzt Bzzt

"Ano..."

Bzzt Bzzt

"Furihata-kun, I think it's your phone..."

"Eh?" Furihata glanced at Himuro who had a sheepish smile on his face while pointing to a cell phone put on a nearby counter. "Ah! S-sorry!"

"No, it's fine. But it did ring a few times when you were still cleaning outside," At this remark, Furihata's face paled.

He picked up his phone and his fear was proven right. Nearly 30 miscalls and numerous texts all asking about whereabouts. He caught a glimpse of the time, it was nearly midnight! He wasn't paying attention to the time and tomorrow was a school day. His brother was surely furious. He sighed and decided to accept his faith as he pressed the call button and lifted the phone, shakily, to his ear. It didn't even need to ring twice before the line was picked up.

"H-How are doing, Y-Yukio-nii?" He nervously greeted.

The man on the other side, though, did not sound amused. "KOUKI YOU IDIOT! WHERE EXACTLY ARE YOU?" Furihata had to move the phone away from his ear.

"I didn't pay attention to the time. I'll leave right now!"

"No, there are no more trains right now. Just wait at the cafe, I'll come pick you up," His tone softened to an extent and heard him exhale a breath. "I was worried. check your damn phone!" And with that, the line went dead.

Furihata kept staring at his phone, now flashing the duration of the short call. The date changed to November 8th the minute the clock hit midnight. He sighed.
He had lost his parents on a similar night nearly ten years ago and ever since then he lived with his aunt's family. They were the only ones willing to take care of him after that accident left him alone in this world. His older cousin, Kasamatsu Yukio, took on the role of his older brother. He was stern and firm but kind and caring. Kasamatsu was always worried about him, being the overprotective person he is.

He took his backpack out of the locker and stepped out of the changing room. He really didn't want to anger or worry the older male any further and so he had to leave now. He said his goodbyes to the owners and they apologized for keeping him for too long, he assured them it was okay and was about to take his leave when a tall male with purple hair stood in front of him, blocking the exit.

"Ano...Murasakibara-kun-"

The taller male shoved a rectangular box in his hands and continued munching on his cookies. Furihata blinked at him, surprised, and opened the box to find different, delicious looking cakes who were all his favorites.

"These are from all of us! Even if Murasakibara-kun is the one who baked them," He heard Riko say as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and grinned at him.

"Eh? For me? But why?"

"What are you saying silly! It's your birthday right?"

"Happy birthday, Furihata-kun," Himuro's kind voice sounded as he came out of the kitchen handing Murasakibara his jacket.

Furihata just stared at them, not sure of what to say.

"What is it with your face?" Hyuuga asked as he ruffled the brunette's hair.

"No, i-it's just...I didn't think you'll remember," Furihata said a blush on his face. "Thank you so much," He said, now a soft smile on his face.

"Apologize to Kasamatsu for us, okay? Enjoy your cakes," Riko said as she waved Furihata goodbye. He muttered a simple "Yes" before exiting the cafe and started walking towards the near-by bus stop.

...

The streets were eerily quite. Usually, even at this time, people still walked down the street, but today everything just seemed...empty. Only the sound of the wind as it howled through the empty alleys was present. Furihata found himself hurrying in his footsteps.

He sat down at the bench at the bus stop and placed the box full of cakes next to him. The night was cold; he breathed into his hands in an attempt to warm them up a bit. He glanced down the empty street, wishing Yukio wouldn't be so late in picking him up. It's not like he was afraid of the dark, but something about the quietness didn't settle well with him.

A rustling in the nearby bushes startled him and he let out a shriek of fear. He was, for once, glad no one was around to laugh at him, for what came out of the bushes was a small white cat. He smiled at the small animal and was about to pet her head when the cat jumped backwards, scratching his outstretched hand, her nails digging deep into his skin. Furihata winced and withdrew his hand, which had deep claw marks as blood seeped through the opened wounds. The cat was arching her back, hair standing and was hissing at Furihata while bearing her teeth.

Rather than pained, Furihata was stunned. He knew stray cats could be hostile to people, but he didn't think he did anything to irk the cat to this extent. The cat hissed at him again then retreated to its hideaway in the bushes.

A chuckle.

This time, Furihata visibly flinched and turned his head in the direction the voice. He saw a silhouette walking towards him, but couldn't recognize who it was until he stepped under the post's light.

"Not even a couple of minutes into the day and you're already hurt, Furihata Kouki-kun," The "stranger" said in a tone all too familiar to Furihata's ears.

"You...You're that rude customer from before,"

He would never miss that red hair or that smug tone. Though he had to admit the man looked different, the air around him felt softer and his left eye was now red, not gold. Well, it could always be the lights. He started at the young man, what was he doing here anyway? And how the hell did he know his name?!

"My name is Akashi Seijuurou. And please do forgive my earlier rude actions. It seems I was in quite a mood for an unknown reason," He said, smiling.

Furihata felt that the last sentence wasn't directed at him. Somehow the way he stressed on the "I" made it look like he was talking about a different person.

Furihata's hands felt sweaty; now that he assessed the situation, it didn't look good. He was alone, in a seemingly empty place with a young man he didn't know, who just appeared out of nowhere calling him by his full name. Furihata found himself getting up taking a couple of steps backwards, eyes never leaving the red head.

"Please, don't be alarmed, Furihata-kun. I've only waited to make sure you reach home safely," Akashi said, that smile never leaving his face. Furihata was genuinely scared. This Akashi has just admitted he was waiting for him to end his shift.

"W-Who are you? Are you...a stalker o-or something?" Akashi chuckled once again.

"I assure you I'm not. I was merely observing you today. If I shared the same fate with someone, wouldn't you think it's only fair I get to know them?" His answer didn't help ease Furihata's nerves. Observing?! What did he mean by sharing fate?

The red head said nothing, but raised his right hand instead. There were fresh looking scratch marks on them. The marks looked close to the ones he had after his encounter with the cat. Furihata, reflexively, glanced at his own hand and his breath was caught in his lungs. He just started at the slightly taller male before him, confused.

"They're...gone. W-Whats the meaning of this? Whats going on?" He said after finding the voice to speak again.

"I know it's hard to believe, but whatever injures you sustain would be transferred to me. This is the kind of fate we both share,"

Furihata's hands started trembling. Was this some kind of a trick?

His train of thoughts was cut off by the flashing light of a car. It took him a few moments to realize it was his brother's. The small navy blue car parked near him, a man with dark blue hair and piercing blue eyes came out of the driver's seat. Akashi sighed.

"It seems our time today has ended, we will continue another time. Good night, Furihata-kun" He declared and turned to walk in the same direction he came from.

Furihata's shoulders relaxed somewhat, glad his encounter with this...weird individual has ended. Yet, he couldn't help but stare at his hand and trace the non-existent claw marks on his hand. He gripped his trembling hands and started at Akashi's retreating figure. The red head stopped and turned to look at him, this time, his left eye gleaming gold.

"One more thing." He started a smirk painted on his face. "Happy birthday, Kouki. I'll see you again tomorrow," and resumed his walking, not even waiting for a reply. Furihata flinched at the use of his first name and at that know-it-all tone Akashi was using.

"Who's that? A friend of yours?" His brother's deep voice asked. Furihata shook his head.

"I'm don't...really know,"

His brother sighed and put his jacket around Furihata's shoulders. "You're shivering. Come on, let's go home," Kasamatsu noticed Furihata's tensed stance, but chose to say nothing. Any lecture or talk would have to wait until he got him home safely.

Furihata only nodded his head and grabbed the cake box and sat inside the car. The trip back home was quite, but his mind was a mess.

"Whatever injures you sustain would be transferred to me. This is the kind of fate we both share," Akashi's words kept circling inside his head as his grip tightened on his right hand.

Tomorrow...Furihata wasn't sure if he ever wanted it to come.